The world is misty grey this morning. There is no surface to the lake, no definition between the water and sky. One world melts into another erasing the far shore, erasing all definition of matter on earth. Only the trees stand out in stark contrast. Red. Green. Orange. Yellow. Grey on grey trunks standing tall in the forest all around.

Our hosts held a dinner party last night. Thirteen people gathered around a table laden with food and wine. Laughter. Story. Sharing. The conversation ranged far and wide. Most of the guests have retired here. Most had spent parts of their childhood in the area only to return to the call of the lakes and rivers and forests as they moved from worker bee to retirement mode.

From police officers to Information Technology managers to corporate executive the table was crowded with lives lived being productive, adding value to economies, societies, families, humanity.

I listened and watched and participated in the discussion and felt the tug of memory pulling me into its thrall.

All through my growing up years, my parents loved to entertain. They loved to gather people from all walks of life, from every economic scale and sit them at their table and ply them with amazing food, wine and conversation. They loved the act of creating connections. Of introducing this woman to that person who might help her achieve a goal. Or that man to that person who might help him fulfill a dream.

My parents were masters at the art of setting a table and filling it with laughter, light and love.

Sitting at the table last night, the candles glowing softly, voices laughing and chatting and cutlery clinking, glasses raised in toasts to ‘the chef’, absent friends, each other, life, I was reminded of those dinner parties long ago. Of those times that connect me to the past and to family. Of those times that embedded in me the desire, need, to gather people together and share.

After dinner we passed a small stone around the table and as each person spoke they shared something about their day they loved. It was inspiring to listen to the simple gratitudes each person expressed. To sit immersed in the joy each person shared about their life that day and every day.

One of the things I shared was meeting a fear this morning and moving through it.

I have never shot a pistol. Guns terrify me actually. But one of the guests skeet shoots with our host once a week. He arrived in the morning and they set up targets and invited me to have a go.

I decided to do it.

In the end, I discovered it wasn’t that scary and it wasn’t about shooting. It was about trying something that scared me. About challenging myself to set my sights on a target and aiming for it. Again and again.

I missed the target, every time. But with practice I’m sure I could be better at actually hitting the cardboard and not the tree behind it. (Sorry tree) Even the chipmunk knew he was safe. He sat to the left of the target and never budged while I shot the pistol. Cheeky devil! But he was right. There was no hope of my hitting him, even by accident. I was way off target!

Like life. We set our sights on a target. We aim for where we want to go and then we keep moving forward. Keep trying. Keep aligning our sights to reflect our direction.

I aimed a pistol at a target and missed yesterday. By a mile.

In life, the goal is to keep aiming. Keep aligning. Keep re-directing my attention to where I want to go, what I want to do, what I want to achieve. And no matter what, to not be distracted by squirrels chattering in my head, or trees blocking the light.

And to keep doing it. Keep going in the direction of my dreams.

I may never pick up a pistol again — in fact I probably won’t. It’s not that I’m afraid of it. It’s just I don’t want to shoot anything — including the branches off trees!

But, I will never quit aiming at my goals. Never quit shooting for the stars to achieve my dreams. As the saying goes, shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you’ll still end up amongst the stars.

It was a day of aiming for the stars yesterday. A day of reflecting in the light of the beauty of the world all around and knowing, to make a difference in the world, I must never let go of my dreams. Never let go of aiming for the stars to.

It’s a big world out there. The universe is calling. Gotta go.

Namaste.